Metal Gear Noir
by Ziegander
Summary: Yeah, basically just as the title says. This is a Metal Gear story written in Noir style. It was too cool an idea for me to pass up.
1. Chapter 1

After playing Max Payne 2, I got it into my head to write a Metal Gear story in Noir style. The title Metal Gear Noir sounded so cool that I couldn't resist. It's pretty sweet. I hope you enjoy.**  
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**Metal Gear Noir**

**1**

_It was a dark and rainy day in December. Cold as hell, but the upper stratosphere was still clinging to autumn's warmth. The rain froze as it hit the ground and nipped at my facial hair. I just shaved this morning. Logic told me that the best chance to hit this guy would be from the rooftop of Tower 3, but every drop of rain that froze on the lens of my scope spun a different yarn. What the hell am I doing out here? It was 3:13 in the afternoon. The target was scheduled to be here at 3:15 without deviation. Where the hell does Otacon get this intel anyway? None of my radars were helping at all considering people were scurrying all around me doing their jobs. I was beginning to wonder if I would even recognize the guy in these conditions. I double checked all of my gear and readied the white laser sight. The geniuses back home started playing around with different colors and immediately recognized that a white beam is much more effective. The normal person won't even notice a dot of white light on someone's forehead. The problem is I don't know if I'll even notice the dot with all of the interference in the air. I had brought replacement diodes if necessary. I ran a practice bead on a man with a green cap. Good. It was working. This was going to be a clean hit. As long as everything went well no one would even know what happened. My watch read 3:15: 27. Something didn't feel right. Years of combat training and virtual missions prepare a soldier with a certain "hunch" sense. This was something more. Something actually **felt** wrong. I turned and pulled a SOCOM 9mm and looming tall above me stood A man in a sweeping brown greatcoat with long gray hair pulled back. A man I instantly remembered. Revolver Ocelot._

Snake: "What are you doing here!?"

Ocelot: "Hello, Snake. Fancy meeting you here. I had a hunch you might be after the dear old man, and well I simply couldn't allow such action."

Snake: "How did you know about Sjorkjvek?"

_I swerved and peered through the scope of my PSG1 Sniper Rifle down to the street below. There was no one at all. My radar was quiet too all save the aged soldier's presence. It was an eerie feeling._

Ocelot: "Oh, I know more than you do, Snake. Sjeyvald Sjorkjvek is an . . . associate of mine. I'm surprised you even know his real name. He usually goes by the codename Grendel."

Snake: "Why didn't Otacon tell me?"

Ocelot: "Tell me, Snake, just what did the young man tell you?"

Snake: "Where is he? He was supposed to be here by now!"

Ocelot: "You're prey is not coming, Beowulf. He has been warned. He has returned to the Mother."

Snake: "What are you talking about?"

Ocelot: "You know very little. Do you know why you are here?"

Snake: "I'm here to kill an international terrorist on his way to drop plans for the next Metal Gear. This was our only shot while he was still vulnerable."

Ocelot: "The Grendel is never vulnerable, Snake. Trust me on that. You had better run along home now, and find out what you've really gotten yourself into."

_Ocelot took a quick look to a watch at his wrist and then snapped his head and right arm to the sky. From the watch a steel wire shot like a rocket into the air. Suddenly a sleek, black jet appeared in the sky out of cloaking and the wire attached itself to the craft. Ocelot was jerked away in the wake and spiraled skyward in haste. The jet disappeared once more engaging its cloaking device. What the hell was that? I patched into Otacon's frequency._

Snake: "Otacon, this is Snake."

Otacon: "Snake, you're not supposed to contact me until after the hit. What happened?"

Snake: "Ocelot."

Otacon: "That guy with the pistols? What was he doing there?"

Snake: "Otacon, who is Grendel?"

Otacon: "That story about the He-man guy and the monsters? What are you talking about?"

Snake: "Grendel, Otacon. Ocelot says that Sjorkjvek is Grendel."

Otacon: "Hmm, let me run search . . ."

Snake: "No search, Otacon. Who is he? You're hiding something!"

Otacon: "Hey! Settle down! You're trusting a crazy old man over me? Snake, I'm on your side, remember? I told you, I don't know anything about anyone named Grendel."

Snake: "He's not a crazy old man. Usually when he says something there's a reason for it. Anyway, Sjorkjvek wasn't there. Ocelot knew I was coming and he said Sjorkjvek returned to the Mother."

Otacon: "The Mother?"

Snake: "Uh huh. Any idea what he's talking about?"

Otacon: "None."

Snake: "Something stinks about this whole business Otacon, and you'd better find some answers quick."

Otacon: "I agree. You'd better get back to HQ fast. I'll try and find us some rosebuds on this Grendel guy."

Snake: "Dig deep, Otacon. I'll be there in a couple days."

_Otacon and I had been friends for almost ten years now, and I trusted him with my life. Something just seemed weird. If Sjorkjvek really was this Grendel guy, how would Otacon find intel on only one of the guy's names? Another thing was bothering me. After we found out the Patriots were all dead, Otacon just stopped investigating. It doesn't make sense to me. So the Patriots are dead, Solidus and Ocelot were obviously working for someone! Even Raiden was under the watchful eye of that crazy GW program! I was trying to find out what the hell happened at Big Shell, when all of the sudden, out of left field another Metal Gear is hitting the black market. I never even came close to finding Olga's baby. When I get back I'm going to remind Otacon that have a promise to keep._


	2. Chapter 2

Yeah, in my particular style here I go switching point of view again. This time we get to hear some of Raiden's side of the story. Remember to review. That is... if anyone is reading this...

**Metal Gear Noir**

**2**

_I had kept the Ninja Armor from the incident at Big Shell. It was my reminder that there was something big going on out there. I've been in the dark so long. Where did I come from? Who trained me? Why was I made into 'Jack the Ripper?' There was something out there that was pulling the strings and making the calls. Something big. I couldn't stand it. Life was beautiful and Rose and I were married, but realizing that I knew nothing was taking its toll. I wanted to get in touch with Snake, but he's harder to track than a field mouse in the snow. Rose still calls me Jack sometimes, but I don't like it. It reminds of me a past of which I have only bad memory. I want to change my name, and start fresh, but I can't think of a name for myself. Parents are supposed to name their children. Did I even have parents? Who am I? I walked down 101st street in New York. I was a normal person. It was almost funny, and almost insulting. All of these people were merely drifting through life. As long as all of them did what they were supposed to do the Patriots wouldn't even notice them. Did they notice me? Did they know where I was right now? I'm sure ever since I met up with Snake they've had their eyes on me. He was not part of the mission. Damn you, Colonel. How do they decide who becomes who? Not all children of artists become artists themselves. What program determines where a person is allowed to go? I needed to know some answers. I needed to know so much that I had to find Snake. I wasn't going to sit at home, in my happy normal life, doing whatever the Patriots wanted me to do anymore. I had a contact in Manhattan. His name was Cyril. He was a shrewd man, and smart as hell. He was connected around the world. If anyone could find Snake he could. The only trouble was how much was it gonna cost? I hopped on a bus and handed the driver fifty cents. I sat in the back next to a dark-skinned business man in a designer suit. He probably thought I was some punk kid. Maybe I was. God, how old am I now? I'm not even thirty yet. My hair probably makes him think I'm about seventeen. I don't particularly care right now. I'm counting the money in my head. I've got two Russian made USP handguns with me, three clips of tranq ammo, and my skull suit. I'll be glad to get rid of that bad memory. The guns alone are worth a cool thousand apiece. I'll have enough I'm sure. I stepped off of the bus and continued down the street. It was only a block away now. If Cyril couldn't find me Snake I was going to blaze across this continent leaving a wake of blood and terror behind me until he found me. Rose. Arrgh, Rose can't be involved in this. What am I going to tell her? She's not going to like it. I stopped just in front of a huge building. The first floor had a large plastic banner that ran the width of the gray concrete. Cy's Buy Sell and Trade. I never understood why a man who wielded Cyril's power would run a stupid pawn shop. It seemed a waste. The bell ringed as the metal and glass door swung open. It hadn't been washed in weeks. The shop was lined with glass cases filled with trinkets and the walls had either shelves or gun racks. Cyril must have been in the back._

Raiden: "Cy, it's me!"

Cyril: "Me, who!?"

Raiden: "Its Jack . . ."

Cyril: "Jack, who!? I know several Jacks!"

Raiden: "Just get the hell out here, Cyril! I have some business to pass your way!"

_The seedy business man emerged from the back wall. His white dress shirt that looked as if it had never been very expensive was stained with grease and his face hadn't been shaved in a few days. There was something to admire in him however. It wasn't his slightly overweight form, or his shrewd aging face. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but Cyril had an unshakable demeanor to him. He had power and he knew it. Power speaks louder than the clothes you wear._

Cyril: "Oh, it's you. What the hell do you want?"

Raiden: "I have a favor to ask of you. I am prepared to pay you handsomely."

Cyril: "Ask me the favor first."

Raiden: "I need you to find an organization for me. Specifically I need you to find a man."

Cyril: "Go on."

Raiden: "The organization is known as Philanthropy. The man is Snake. You may have never heard of them."

Cyril: "I have. What payment are you offering?"

_I smirked and tossed my bag in front of him. Straight to business as always. Cyril rummaged through the contents taking notice of the guns first and then the skull suit. His face turned sour._

Cyril: "What the fuck is this?"

Raiden: "It's called a skull suit. It is air-tight, water-tight, and resistant to fire. It is zero reflective, and is especially valuable for sneaking. There is even a highly sophisticated system of nano-machines inside the suit that monitor brainwaves and vital signs. U.S. Government. Classified.

_Cyril raised an eyebrow and folded the suit onto the counter. Next he took out the tranq clips and snorted._

Cyril: "Clips?"

Raiden: "Modified. 9mm tranquilizer darts. Enough sedative to put down an elephant."

_Cyril took a round from the clip and laughed._

Cyril: "What the fuck am I supposed to do with this stuff? Who the hell is going to buy this shit?"

Raiden: "I'm sure you can find someone. You liked the guns I noticed."

Cyril: "I did. Where did you get them anyway?

Raiden: "Some Russian friends of mine. Equipped with a laser sight and flashlight and can except any of 10 round clips, 16 round clips or 20 round clips."

Cyril: "Look, finding the snake is going to be a difficult matter. I'm going to have to go beyond my normal resources. I may need a good amount of hard cash."

Raiden: "I thought you might say that. I know you can easily get more than a thousand for each of those USP's, and the suit is worth a fortune. Nevertheless I came prepared."

_I tossed him a fat roll of green. Five thousand dollars actually. Rose never knew I had the money. I found it in an account left for me by Solidus. I have no idea why he left it for me, but there was more where that came from. Cyril counted the money and crammed it into his pocket._

Cyril: "Who are you, Jack?"

Raiden: "An old friend of Snake's. Find him for me or I'll be back for my money."

Cyril: "Come back in two weeks. I'll find you your snake."

_I walked out the door and clenched my fist. I trusted the man. Cyril's reach was long. Things were going to start making sense around here. I just needed to find Snake._


	3. Chapter 3

Blecgh... this one's so short it almost doesn't matter... Oh, well its kinda cool, it gives you some perspective as to what's goin on with Ocelot.**  
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**Metal Gear Noir**

**3**

_I stood next to the Ray I had confiscated from the Big Shell and marveled at the arrogance of the United States._

Ocelot: "And to think, this was their greatest weapon."

_The bossman approached me with a cool swagger to him. I hated working for the man. He was older than I was, but he simply refused to age. He reeked of the devil himself._

Boss: "What are you thinking about, Adamska?"

Ocelot: "Don't call me that. My name is Ocelot."

Boss: "Suit yourself. I was wondering how things were coming on our little project."

Ocelot: "Everything is going according to plan."

Boss: "You sound weary, Ocelot. You ought to take some rest. Your joints must be aching."

_That rotten little bastard._

Ocelot: "Why you-!"

_I had always prided myself on my quick draw. I could draw and fire two times in the time it took for a normal man to fire a ready weapon once. That's why it was doubly painful when Cain thrust his damned rapier into the meat between my thumb and forefinger. I didn't even see him move. Rotten little Bastard._

Cain: "Ah, ah, ahh. I'm in charge here, remember? I value your partnership, Ocelot, but you had better learn to control your temper."

_He walked away as I clutched my bleeding hand. For a moment I considered trying my little arm trick on him, but after thinking on it I realized he'd see right through it. Hell, he's probably not afraid of Snakes anyway. I pulled a handkerchief from my shirt pocket and wrapped my hand. I needed to find some way of turning this arrangement around. Who could I trust? Who could I get to trust me? There was always the girl, but I don't know if she would get involved in this. Then there's the dead man. I hate working with him too, but . . . monsters like him are quite useful. If the man had ambition enough he could rule the world. I guess it's a good thing he doesn't._


	4. Chapter 4

And now we get back to Snake. Next chapter will be from Ocelot's point of view and then after that I think I'll get back to Raiden. We're starting to get some length to the chapters now. (Oh, and if anyone's read my KH fanfic this is where the elevator code trick that Rufus does to get to the Labs initially came from :))**  
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**Metal Gear Noir**

**4**

_The local news stations were reporting on a strange cult forming in the mountains. Under the cover of darkness mountain climbers ascended the cliffs and never returned. I was glad my cover hadn't been blown yet, but these moonlight climbs were going to have to end soon. Hand over hand I continued reaching for the top of what Otacon's calling Mt. Nagaphile. Snake Friend. Disguised as a gold mining facility, Philanthropy HQ was a high-tech intelligence agency specializing in targeting metal gear related activities. Even the guards that patrolled the area didn't know the truth under the rock and ice. To them I was Iroquois Pliskin, Army vet. They just thought I was a crazy old man clinging to soldier glory by climbing the mountains all the time. Sure, boys, I do it for fun. After passing the guard station I walked through the highly monitored front doors. I turned right and took an elevator down to the Storage Basement. This is where it gets tricky. I contacted Otacon._

Snake: "Otacon, its me, I'm coming down in Elevator 2."

Otacon: "Okay. I'll stop you ten feet above Storage."

_I had to pry open the Elevator and propel down to HQ. There were levels below the basement that the Elevator couldn't get to. Part of our secrecy. None of the workers know of course. He's stopping me ten feet above storage, but there's still another fifteen feet to down. Nothing too tough, but no one in their right mind would even think to attempt it. Keeps our secret safe with us. I attach my line to the roof of the elevator and open a trap door on the floor of the elevator. Next I simply lower myself all the way to ground level. Then I press a button on the cord jockey and it zips back into itself. The door on the elevator shuts and to my right a hydraulic iron portal opens up revealing a short thin young man with shoulder length black hair and eyeglasses._

Otacon: "Hi, Snake."

Snake: "Otacon,-"

Otacon: "Don't worry. I found something. Grendel right?"

_He led me into the control room discussing the information he had found. He seemed jumpier than usual. Mei Ling sat in the computer lab, and Artemis, the new one we picked up, was entering the surveillance closet._

Artemis: "Snake, your back!"

Mei Ling: "Oh, hello, Snake."

Otacon: "As I was saying, Grendel is a part of a very elitist group of hired sentries. Bodyguards you might call them. I'm not sure who they're working for now, but if Ocelot is mixed up with them you can bet, they are bad news."

Snake: "You think it's the Patriots?"

Otacon: "Snake, the Patriots all died a hundred years ago."

Snake: "Yeah."

_Otacon was acting weird. We both knew the Patriots were dead. It wasn't like I had forgotten._

Otacon: "Anyway, supposedly this group, USURP, is not only working as sentinels, but are also developing a new type of Metal Gear. Something that will 'revolutionize' warfare as we know it."

Snake: "Sounds serious."

Otacon: "Exactly what I was thinking. I don't know if that means a new weapon system, new computer technology, new maneuverability options –"

Snake: "Whatever it is it means that we're likely to need a new way of fighting it."

Otacon: "Right."

Snake: "Okay. Who are these USURP guys?"

Otacon: "Well, that's another problem. I could only find information on three of them. Supposedly there are five of them, but as far as I know they don't exist."

Snake: "What did you find?"

_Otacon sits down next to Mei Ling and pulls up some websites._

Otacon: "Okay, well, Grendel is the tracking expert and apparently is incredible resistance to harm. Then there's The Dragon who is actually immune to fire. He is the demolitions and pyrotechnics expert. The other guy I heard about is called The Shadow Demon. He is supposedly the most feared assassin in Asia. I guess he's a ninja, but then the info I found is a little exagerrated."

_I lean in to see the screen that talks about this Ninja guy._

Snake: "Does that say that he can disappear?"

Otacon: "I think it means he can teleport actually. I told you it's a little exaggerated."

Snake: "I don't know. Remember the last guys we were up against?"

Otacon: "I guess."

Snake: "Okay, so where can we find these guys?"

Otacon: "That's the thing. I can't find anything. Sjorkjvek has dropped off the radar and I can't find anything on the other guys. Whoever USURP's working for they're more secretive than the Japanese mob."

Snake: "There's a Japanese mob?"

Otacon: "Oh yeah, they work for the government I think. In exchange for knocking off enemies of the state the mob gets immunity for many of their other unsavory dealings and a good deal of money."

Snake: "I can't believe I've never heard of them."

Otacon: "Not many have."

Snake: "So, what do we do now?"

Otacon: "We keep looking. Mei Ling and I have been searching the net for any mention of the group and Artemis has been tracking locations from our satellite."

Snake: "But nothing so far."

Otacon: "Right."

Snake: "Otacon . . . I don't know how to say this so . . . listen, you're acting a little weird. What is really going on here?"

Otacon: "Going on? Nothing. Nothing's going on Snake. Lighten up."

_He laughed nervously and slapped me on the shoulder. Otacon **never** touched anyone. I really didn't like this. Otacon was hiding something. I couldn't tell if he was afraid or what was wrong, but Otacon was on edge. I walked into the surveillance closet to see what Artemis was up to. She was in her late twenties, and had been operating inside a Canadian think tank since she was fourteen. Her expertise is in her attention to detail. The normal human eye can see over 200 shades and tints in color. Arti's can detect variations over 500. She can tell what time it is by the intensity and brightness of the sun's light within ten minutes. Stranger still, her eyes changed color depending on the things she looked at. If she was looking at something that made her happy they were blue. If something made her angry they changed orange. If another thing made her sad they would turn gray. The weird really part was when something sent her mixed emotions. She looked like some sort of alien._

Snake: "Artemis, has Otacon seemed strange lately?"

_Her eyes changed. A gray ring formed around her pupil and around that her iris changed into a bright green. I avert my eyes a bit. I'm never going to get used to that._

Artemis: "Well, it's just that the images he's had me looking at, don't seem to make sense."

Snake: "What do you mean?"

Artemis: "I just think there are more intelligent places to look for these guys. I haven't ever hunted down terrorists before but-"

Snake: "Let me see them."

_The first image she showed me was what looked to be an abandoned Mining Camp probably not used since the 60's. The next image was a run-down nuclear power plant and its surrounding areas. There were some fenced in enclosures and a couple structures that could be used as guard towers. Finally she showed me what might have been some fallen empire with a ruined city and a decrepit old palace of some sort. They did seem unorthodox._

Snake: "Where are the images from."

Artemis: "The first was a mining rig in Canada. The second was a plant in Russia, that supposedly hasn't been used since 1982. The last one is supposed to be some place in Afghanistan, but I don't even believe that. The color and texture of the ground isn't quite right."

_I tried not to laugh at such a seemingly ridiculous statement. She would know._

Snake: "I don't understand. Why does he have you looking here? What intelligence is he basing these places on?"

Artemis: "Well, there it is. He's supposedly gotten some tip from a guy calling himself 'The Foxhounder.'"

Snake: "What?! Foxhounder?!"

_I slammed the door open and to a step toward the computers. Artemis followed me cautiously._

Snake: "Who the hell is Foxhounder?!"

Otacon: "What's gotten into you Snake?"

Snake: "You're getting messages from a guy named Foxhounder and you choose not to tell me?!"

Otacon: "Settle down, Snake."

Snake: "Who is he, Otacon?"

Otacon: "He's just a guy who knows a little about Foxhound and us. He's no one to be alarmed about. He probably just thinks Foxhounder makes him sound cooler."

Snake: "Then what's so important about his tips? What gives this guy any credibility?"

Otacon: "He's an old friend of mine. We met in an internet gallery for fanart and fanfiction. His name is Verch. He's a smart guy, and he's been following the Metal Gear front too."

Snake: "Otacon, this is insane. He's a civilian! What the hell does he know?"

Otacon: "He lives in the Czech Republic and he tells me that there has been a considerable amount of tension in politics in that area. He says he's done some digging and he found rumors about Metal Gear development and sent me some sites to evaluate. I thought we had a decent shot."

Snake: "You're trusting a guy who you met in an internet site where geeks can express themselves by writing about 'cool video games' that they like?"

Otacon: "Well, now you're just insulting me, Dave. I trust him."

Snake: "Mei Ling, you approved this?"

Mei Ling: "No. I didn't know where the intel came from and if I had I certainly don't think I would have wasted time on it. What are you doing Otacon?"

Otacon: "You too, Mei Ling? Artemis, do you think I've done something wrong?"

Artemis: "The whole thing seems highly illogical, Otacon. You must understand?"

_The look on Otacon's face betrayed his motives. I lost my naivety long ago. Otacon was deliberately trying to keep us in the dark._


End file.
